Beck’s Orchestral Performance at Albert Hall
Last night, Beck delivered an inspiring set alongside Kurio. As he took the stage with an 80-piece orchestra and conductor Edwin Water, the 54-year-old star shared: “We are going to dive a little into songs that we cannot perform very often.” He explored his extensive catalog for tracks originally arranged for orchestras, opting for a more adventurous route than the common practice of sticking to popular hits.
A Unique Musical Journey
This marked the first of two orchestral performances for Beck at the Albert Hall following his U.S. tour, which kicked off at the Winery ST amphitheater in Wurinville, Washington, on July 3. Last night, he expressed his excitement about revisiting tracks from his 2002 album “Sea Change” with the orchestra, a unique opportunity he cherished as he and the musicians navigated several pieces from the record.
Dressed in a dark suit with flared trousers, the singer appeared relaxed and maintained an informal vibe while performing at this historic venue, reflecting on his previous solo shows: “I don’t know what I was thinking!” He opened with his rendition of the Korgis’ “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime,” a song popularized by the 2004 film *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind*. With nearly 27 million plays on Spotify, Beck noted last year in an interview with *The Los Angeles Times* that he was thrilled to see listeners determine which songs become hits, thanks to the power of streaming services. “(‘Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime’) wasn’t in my repertoire at all before,” he reflected, acknowledging the new generation of fans who connected with him through this song.
The highlight of the evening was this track, along with his cover of The Color Box’s “Tarantula,” featured in the 2018 film *Roma*. Although he humorously noted that none of his music actually appeared in the film, “Tarantula” contributed to the movie’s soundtrack. Beck infused humor into the performance, joking about his beautifully executed covers of Scott Walker’s “This Rain” and “Montague Terrace (in Blue),” which he described as “Karaoke of 100,000 pounds.”
Audience Engagement and Future Plans
During a previous *Los Angeles Times* interview, Beck explained that the scale of the concerts made extensive rehearsals impractical. Laughing, he said, “(The orchestra) learned all this show like five hours ago. It took me 30 years!” The venue was packed, although the Californian musician noted that none of his London friends could make it due to the Easter holiday. “Thank you for coming out because I think you’re the only ones,” he joked, contrasting Easter in the UK with its more festive significance in the U.S.
The audience was treated to a lively encore without the orchestra, which cleared the stage more swiftly than in the U.S., according to Beck. He kicked off this portion of the show by breaking through the orchestra’s ranks and striking a large gong, exclaiming, “We might have a delight!” He then played a brief harmonica solo, quipping, “I went from an 80-piece orchestra to one harmonica.” His rendition of “One Foot in the Grave” invited audience participation reminiscent of Freddie Mercury’s iconic Live Aid performance in 1985.
Promising that the absence of the orchestra allowed his band and the audience to do “everything we want,” Beck launched into a mini rock concert featuring drummer Joey Waronker, who is set to join Oasis on their upcoming stadium tour. The performance included hits like “Devil’s Haircut” and “Mixed Business.” Beck even climbed onto the conductor’s podium before making his way into the orchestra pit, igniting enthusiasm among the audience.
Looking ahead, Beck announced that he plans to hold more orchestral shows in Asia and North America this year, starting with the Nano-Mugen festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 25, followed by a North American tour kicking off at Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, on July 15.
Setlist from April 19 Performance at Royal Albert Hall
- ‘Cycle’
- ‘Golden Age’
- ‘Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime’ (Korgis cover)
- ‘Single Tears’
- ‘Wave’
- ‘Tropicalia’
- ‘Blue Moon’
- ‘Lost Cause’
- ‘New Pollution’
- ‘Missing’
- ‘Tarantula’ (This Mortal Coil)
- ‘It’s Raining Today’ (Scott Walker cover)
- ‘Around the Bend’
- ‘Paper Tiger’
- ‘We Are Alone’
- ‘Montague Terrace (in Blue)’ (Scott Walker cover)
- ‘Phase’
- ‘Morning’
- ‘Boring Light’
- ‘Where It’s At’
Encore (Without Orchestra)
- ‘One Foot in the Grave’
- ‘Devil’s Haircut’
- ‘Mixed Business’
- ‘Jonah’
https://www.nme.com/news/music/beck-performs-hits-and-curios-at-the-royal-albert-hall-with-80-piece-bbc-concert-orchestra-3856335?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beck-performs-hits-and-curios-at-the-royal-albert-hall-with-80-piece-bbc-concert-orchestra
